This invention relates to a hand knitting machine having a pair of needle beds each with a multiplicity of latch needles and, more particularly, to a device capable of transferring the loops of yarn carried by latch needles on a first needle bed to the corresponding latch needles on a second needle bed.
Conventionally, in the hand knitting machine of this kind, use has been made of a tool for transferring loops of yarn having a rod portion for engaging with the loops of yarn and an opening for engaging with the latch needle hooks, so that the loops of yarn carried by the latch needles on first needle bed may be sequentially transferred by manual operation onto the corresponding latch needles on the other needle bed. Such transfer of the loops of yarn from a number of latch needles for transferring the loops of yarn (hereinafter simply designated as a "transfer latch needle") to the corresponding latch needles for receiving the loops of yarn (hereinafter designated as a "receiving latch needles") has involved a great deal of working time and a laborious manual operation.
In order to eliminate such defect in the conventional art, there has been proposed a device for automtically transferring the loops of yarn including a loop transfer carriage mounted across first and second needle beds and capable of sliding in the direction of juxtaposition of the latch needles. The carriage has a first path for guiding the butts of the transfer latch needles on first needle beds therein and moving them in the fore and aft direction, and a second path for guiding the receiving latch needles on the second needle bed therein and moving them in the fore and aft direction.
In case of performing an operation of loop transfer in such conventional device, the first needle bed is moved longitudinally relative to the other so that the transfer latch needles on the first needle bed are displaced laterally relative to the receiving latch needles on the second neelde bed, by a predetermined distance less than the pitch of juxtaposition of the latch needles. In this way, the loops of yarn carried by the transfer latch needle are positioned inclinedly and with a predetermined gap relative to their corresponding loop receiving latch needles. In this state, the carriage is slid on the first and second needle beds so that, by the operation of said first path, the transfer latch needles are moved from a position back of the push behind latch ppsition to a position ahead of the push behind latch position and again to the position back of the push behind latch position and that, by operation of said second path, certain specific receiving latch needles are moved to a position wherein their hooks are engaged with said inclined loops of yarn and are then receded so as to pull the loops of yarn by their hooks. Thus, the loops of yarn carried by the transfer latch needles may thus be transferred to the receiving latch needles.
However, in the conventional device for transferring the loops of yarn, the transfer and receiving latch needles are wobbed laterally due to tension fluctuation acting on the loops of yarn during the transfer of loops of yarn and hence the hooks of the latch needles in the second path may not be intruded accurately into loops of yarn carried by the latch needlds in the first path, but deflected to the outside of the loops of yarn, thus the loops of yarn not being transferred from the transfer latch needles to the receiving latch needles. The loops of yarn may thus be disengaged from both the latch needles and the loops of yarn thus disengaged must be manually picked up from the narrow gap between the two needle beds and then, be engaged on the receiving latch needles, which is truly a laborious operation.